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Bhakti Movements
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 Bhakti Movement

Bhakti movement was based

Bhakti Movement was
on the doctrine that the
a religious reform
relationship between god and
movement during medieval
man is through love and
times which emphasized
worship rather than through
single-minded intense
performing any ritual or
devotion to God.
religious ceremonies.

The origin of Bhakti is traced in Vedas, but

its real development took place after the
7th. It was initiated by Shaiva Nayanars &
Vaishnavite Alwars in south India, later
spread to all regions.
 NAYANARS ALVARS
Devotees of Shiva Devotees of Vishnu
1. Tirumarai – Compilation of hymns of 1. Divya Prabandha– Compilation of the hymns
Nayanars by the highest priest of Raja Raja of the Alvars saints – poets.
Chola I, Nambiyandar Nambi. 2. Emotional Side of Vaishnavism represented
2. The details of the lives and of the saints are by: Alvars through collective songs –
described in the work ‘Tevaram’ which is also “Prabhandas”.
called the Dravida Veda. 3. Intellectual side of Vaishnavism represented
by: “Acharyas”

Imp saints – Imp saints –

1. Tiru Neelakanta, 1. Andal (only female Alwar saint who is referred
2. Meiporul, to as the ‘Meera of the South’)
3. Viralminda, 2. Thirumazhisai Alvar
4. Amaraneedi, 3. Thiruppaan Alvar
5. Karaikkal Ammaiyar (woman) 4. Nammalwar
5. Kulasekara
 Bhakti Movement
Causes Features
1. Influence of 1. Unity of God or one God though known by different names.
Vaishnavism 2. Condemnation of rituals, ceremonies and blind faith.
2. Evil practices of 3. Rejection of idol worship.
the Hindus 4. Surrender of oneself to God.
3. Fear of spread 5. Emphasized both Nirguna and Saguna bhakti.
of Islam 6. Salvation through Bhakti.
4. Influence of 7. Open-mindedness about religious matters.
Sufi sects 8. Rejected castes distinctions & believed in equality of all humans.
5. The emergence 9. Rebelled against the upper caste’s domination and the Sanskrit language.
of great [Link] of local or regional languages for Preaching.
reformers. [Link] of literature in local language
 Bhakti Saints

Vaishnava
Vedanta Saints Shaiva Saints
Saints
 Bhakti Saints

Based on the Imagination of God

Saguna Bhakti Nirguna Bhakti

Believes God with form & Believes invisible formless god,
attributes. without attributes.
Saguna bhakta’s poetry was Nirguna bhakta’s poetry
Prema-shrayi, or with roots in was Jnana-shrayi or had roots
love. in knowledge.
Saguna Saints: Nirgun Saints:
1. Tulsidas 1. Guru Nanak
2. Surdas 2. Ravidas
3. Meerabai 3. Kabir
Shankaracharya (c. 788 – 820 CE)
1. One of the mystic Bhakti poet-saint leaders who gave a new orientation to Hinduism.
2. He was born in Kaladi in Kerala. He propounded the Advaita (Monism) philosophy and
the idea of Nirgunabrahman (god without attributes).
3. In Advaita, the reality of the world is denied and Brahman is considered the only reality.
It is only Brahman at its base that gives it its reality.
4. His famous quotes include, ‘Brahma Satyam Jagat Mithya Jivo Brahmatra Naparaha’
meaning, “The Absolute Spirit is the reality, the world of appearance is Maya” and
‘Ekameva Adviteeyam Brahma’ meaning, “The absolute is one alone, not two”.
5. He laid emphasis on knowledge (gyan) as that can alone lead to salvation.
6. Upadesasahasri, Vivekachudamani, Bhaja Govindum Stotra are some of the works
authored by Shankaracharya.
7. He also wrote commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita, the Brahma Sutra and the
Upanishads.
8. He set up mathas at Dwarka, Puri, Sringeri and Badrinath
Ramanuja (c. 1017 – 1137 CE)
1. Born in 1017 in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, Ramanujacharya is revered as a Vedic
philosopher and social reformer.
2. He was named Lakshmana at the time of his birth. He was also referred to as Ilaya
Perumal which means the radiant one.
3. He traveled across India, advocating equality and social justice.
4. He revived the Bhakti movement, and his preachings inspired other Bhakti schools of
thought. He is considered to be the inspiration for poets like Annamacharya, Bhakta
Ramdas, Thyagaraja, Kabir, and Meerabai.
5. He is famous as the chief proponent of Vishishtadvaita subschool of
Vedā[Link] (literally "Advaita with uniqueness; qualifications") is a non-
dualistic school of Vedanta philosophy.
6. It is non-dualism of the qualified whole, in which Brahman alone is seen as the
Supreme Reality, but is characterized by multiplicity.
7. He has also stressed the need of being in tune with nature and not to over-exploit.
He went on to write nine scriptures known as the navaratnas, and composed numerous
commentaries on Vedic scriptures.

Ramanuja’s most important writings include his commentary on the Vedanta Sutras (the Sri
Bhasya, or "True Commentary"), and his commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita (the Gitabhasya,
or "Commentary on the Gita").

His other writings include the Vedartha Samgraha ("Summary of the Meaning of the Veda"),
the Vedantasara ("Essence of Vedanta"), and Vedantadipa ("Lamp of Vedanta").

Ramanuja was an advocate of social equality among all sections of people centuries ago, and
encouraged temples to open their doors to everyone irrespective of caste or position in
society at a time when people of many castes were forbidden from entering them.
He took education to those who were deprived of it. His greatest contribution is the
propagation of the concept of “vasudhaiva kutumbakam”, which translates as “all the universe
is one family”.
 Statue of Equality
1. It is a 216-feet tall statue, which is
made of 'panchaloha', a combination
of five metals: gold, silver, copper,
brass, and zinc.
2. It is among one of the tallest metallic
statues in sitting position in the
world.
3. The statue is mounted on a 54-feet
high base building named 'Bhadra
Vedi'. It has floors devoted for a
vedic digital library and research
center, ancient Indian texts, a
theater, an educational
gallery detailing many works of Sri
Ramanujacharya.
Madhavacharya (c. 1238 – 1317 CE)
1. Madhvacharya was critic of Adi Shankara’s Advaita
Vedanta and Ramanuja’s Vishishtadvaita Vedanta teachings.
2. Madhava from Kannada preached Dvaita or the dualism of Jivatma and Paramatma.
3. According to his philosophy, the world is not an illusion but a reality and full of real
distinction.
4. God, soul and matter are unique in nature, and are irreducible to each other.
5. He founded the Brahma Sampradaya.
6. He considered Brahman and the universe to be two equally real entities that are not
related in any way.
7. The God of dualism is Vishnu who has created the universe, and the universe is
separate from God and in an inferior position to God with no link between the two.
Vishnu controls all worldly affairs and to worship and pray to God is the duty of all
persons.
8. Liberation- only through the grace of God
9. Book – Anuvyakhyana.
Nimbarka

1. He was the younger contemporary of Ramanuja who propounded the Dvaita

Advaita philosophy and the philosophy of Bheda Abheda (difference/non-
difference).
2. The Bheda Abheda philosophy, like Vishista Advaita, also believes that the world
and the Brahman are both equally real and that the world is a part of Brahman.
The difference is in emphasis only.
3. He was the preacher of Vaishnavite Bhakti in the Telangana region.
4. He also founded the Sanak Sampradaya.
Nathpanthis, Siddhas, and Yogis

1. Criticised the ritual and other aspects of conventional religion and the social order,
using simple, logical arguments.
2. They advocated renunciation of the world.
3. To them, the path to salvation lay in meditation on the formless god.
4. To achieve this they advocated intense training of the mind and body through
practices like yogasanas, breathing exercises and meditation.
5. These groups became particularly popular among “low” castes.
 Ramanada (14-15th century)
1. Ramananda was a 15th-century poet-saint who was
born at Prayag (Allahabad) and preached his principles
at Benaras and Agra. His followers are His disciples were:
called Ramanandis. 1. Kabir, a Muslim
2. He was originally a follower of Ramanuja. Like other weaver.
monotheist bhakti saints, he opposed the caste system 2. Sena, a barber.
and chose his disciples from all sections of society, 3. Sadhana, a butcher.
irrespective of caste. 4. Raidasa, a cobbler.
3. He is regarded as the founder of the Ram cult in north 5. Dhanna, a jat farmer.
India as his object of Bhakti was Ram since he 6. Narahari, a goldsmith.
worshipped Ram and Sita. 7. Pipa, a Rajput prince.
4. He rejected the monopoly of the Sanskrit language
over the teachings of religious texts.
5. He preached in local languages to popularise his
teachings.
 1. Disciple of Kabir
Kabir Das (1440-1510 AD) Dadu Dayal 2. He was a supporter of Hindu-
(1544-1603 Muslim unity
1. Disciple of Ramananda AD) 3. His followers were called Dadu
Panthis
2. He was the first to reconcile Hinduism and Islam.
3. He was a Nirguna saint and openly criticised the orthodox ideas of major religions like
Hinduism and Islam.
4. Denounced idol-worship, fastings, pilgrimages and religious superstitious beliefs, bathing in
holy rivers, formal worship like nama.
5. His poems are called “Banis” (utterances) or ‘Dohe’. His works are compiled in the famous
book “Bijak”.
6. He urged his disciples that to attain salvation one must have a pure heart, free from cruelty,
hypocrisy, dishonesty and insincerity. He considered neither asceticism nor book
knowledge important for true knowledge. He also did not consider it necessary to abandon
the life of a householder for the sake of saintly life.
7. Kabir is regarded as the greatest mystic saint and his followers are called Kabirpanthis.
Raidas (a tanner), Guru Nanak (a Khatri merchant) and Dhanna (a Jat peasant) were some of
his important disciples.
8. Kabir says: “Ram Rahim are same”.
Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1538 AD)

1. Birth – Talvandi Viilage & Death Kartarpur ( Both are in Pakistan)

2. Founder of Sikh religion & the first Guru of ten Sikh Gurus. Intially worked as
Accountant.
3. Preached middle path & need of Guru for liberation.
4. He composed hymnes and sang along with the help of instrument called
”Rabab” played by his attendant “Mardana”.
5. Travelled across the Asia including Mecca & Baghdad and spread the message of “Ik
Onkar” – One God.
6. Opposes idol worship, pilgrimage and caste system, and emphasized purity of
character and conduct.
7. Called God as “Waheguru” that is shapeless, timeless, omnipresent & invisible (
Nirgun Bhakti )
8. He started Guru-Ka-langer (Community Kitchen)
9. He promoted “Tauhid-e-wazidi”- Unity of god
 Guru Ravidas

1. He was a 14th century saint and reformer of the Bhakti movement in North India.
2. It is believed that he was born in Varanasi in a cobbler’s family.
3. He gained prominence due to his belief in one God and his unbiased religious poems.
4. He dedicated his whole life to the abolition of the caste system and openly despised
the notion of a Brahminical society.
5. His devotional songs made an instant impact on the Bhakti Movement and around 41
of his poems were included in ‘Guru Granth Sahib’, the religious text of the Sikhs.
6. Ravidas Jayanti is celebrated on Magh Purnima, the full moon day in the month of
Magh according to the Hindu lunar calendar.
Vaishnavism

Apart from the non-sectarian movement led by Kabir and Nanak, the
Bhakti movement in north India developed around the worship of Rama
and Krishna, two of the incarnations of God Vishnu.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1533 AD)
1. Founder of modern Vaishnavism in Bengal.
2. He was a Saguna and popularized “Kirtans” (religious songs) as a form of
worshipping God.
3. Popularized the chanting of “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna”.
4. He made famous the practice of worshipping Radha and Krishna together. He gave
the “Achintaya Bheda-Abheda” philosophy.
5. Didn’t reject scriptures or idol worship called god as Hari.
6. He wrote “Siksastakam”, a text in Sanskrit, where he elaborated his philosophy.
7. He is the inspiration behind the world renowned ISKCON (International Society for
Krishna Consciousness) that was founded in the 20th century.
Shankaradeva (1499-1569 AD)
1. Spread the Bhakti cult in Assam
2. Translated Ramayana & Mahabharat into Assamese
3. He started the Ekasarana movement (Neo-Vaishnavite movement). He believed in the
worship of ‘Ekasarana’ (One God) in the form of Krishna.
4. He also called Krishna by different names like Hari, Narayan and Rama.
5. His most famous work is “Kirtana Ghosha”, written in a simple language understood
by the masses.
6. He wrote in Assamese and Brajavali (mixture of Maithili and Assamese).
 Vallabhacharya (c. 1479 – 1531 CE)
1. He was born in Benaras to a Telugu Brahmin family. He propagated his doctrine of
Bhakti (devotion) through god Krishna whom he fondly addressed as Shrinath Ji.
2. He founded pustimarga (the path of grace) – a path that teaches a devotee how to
offer selfless love and devotion to Shrinath Ji without expecting anything in return but
love.
3. He propounded the philosophy of Shudh Advaita (pure monism) which forms the
basis of the pushtimarg devotional practice. Shudh Advaita like Vishista Advaita too
indicates that the entire universe is the manifestation of Brahman.
4. It is like the two sides of the coin, with Brahman as one side and the universe another
side. There is no change – the universe is a part of the coin that is Brahman. Hence,
this is called “Shudh Advaita” because it is said that there is only one and there is no
change.
5. He also founded Rudra Sampradaya.
6. He along with his disciple Surdas was largely instrumental in popularising the Krishna
cult in north India.
Surdas

1. He is the blind bard and devotee of Lord Krishna

2. Disciple of Vallabhacharya
3. He wrote “Sursagar” and “Sursurvali”.
4. Showed intense devotion to Radha and Krishna
5. Regarded as the outstanding devotional poet in Brajbhasha
Mirabai (1498-1546 AD)

1. She was the most popular Bhakthi reformer

2. She was born in Rajasthan
3. She became the wife of Rana Bhojraj, one of the royal families in Rajasthan
4. She was the first to introduce Giridhara Gopala cult of Brindavan and also the first
to introduce Bhajan in Bhakthi movement
5. Her bhajans were composed in the language of Vraj Bhasha
 Guru Ghasidas (1756-1836 AD)

1. He was a famous saint from Chhattisgarh and he established the “Satnami

Community” there.
2. He strongly believed in equality and criticized the oppressive caste system.
3. He was a monotheist and was against idol worship.
 Tallapaka Annamacharya (c. 1408 – 1503 CE)

1. He was a pioneer in both devotional music sankirtans and also in the field of
opposition to social evils such as the practice of untouchability.
2. He was an ardent devotee of Lord Venkateshwara.
Saint Tyagaraja (c. 1767 – 1847 CE)

1. He is regarded as one of the greatest composers of Carnatic music, who had

composed thousands of devotional compositions, mostly in Telugu in praise of Lord
Ram.
2. He is also considered as one of the precious jewels of the Carnatic trinity, the other
two being Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri.
3. He composed the famous Pancharatna Kritis (meaning five gems).
Jnaneswar or Jnanadeva ( c. 1275 – 1296 CE)

1. A 13th-century mystical poet-saint of Maharashtra who wrote a commentary of

Bhagavad Gita called Jnaneswari which served as a foundation of the Bhakti
ideology in Maharashtra.
2. He was strictly against caste distinctions and believed that the only way to attain
God was through Bhakti.
3. He also composed “Amritanubhava” (immortal experience), based on the
philosophy of the Upanishads and “Haripatha”, a song admiring Hari (Vishnu).
 Namadeva (c. 1270 – 1350)
1. A Maharashtrian saint, who flourished in the first part of the 14th century.
Namadeva was a tailor who is said to have taken to banditry before he became a
saint.
2. His poetry which was written in Marathi breathes a spirit of intense love and
devotion to God.
3. He is considered one of the five revered gurus in the Dadupanth tradition within
Hinduism, the other four being Dadu, Kabir, Hardas and Ravidas. It is believed that
his Abhangas were included in the Guru Granth Sahib.
4. Namadeva is said to have travelled far and wide and engaged in discussions with Sufi
saints at Delhi.
 Sant Eknath (c. 1533 – 1599 CE)
1. He was a scholar of Varkari sampradaya and Vaishnavism, the branch of Hinduism
that is characterised by devotion to God Vishnu and his incarnations (avatars).
2. He is known to have enriched Marathi literature and had translated various Sanskrit
texts into Marathi.
3. He also tried to shift the emphasis of Marathi literature from spiritual to
narrative composition and introduced a new form of Marathi religious song
called Bharood.
4. He was a family man and emphasised that staying in monasteries or withdrawing
from the world are not necessary for leading a religious life. He was known for
resolving conflicts between householder duties and the demands of religious
devotion.
5. He was against caste distinctions and spread the message that there was no
distinction in God’s eyes between Brahmin and outcaste or between Hindu and
Muslim.
Tukaram (c. 1608 – 1650 CE)

1. A 17th-century poet-saint who was a contemporary of Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj

and saints like Eknath and Ramdas.
2. His poetry was devoted to Vithoba or Vitthala, an avatar of the Hindu God, Vishnu.
3. He is known for his Abangas (dohas) in Marathi which are a rich heritage of the
Gatha – devotional poetry and was also responsible for creating a background for
Maratha nationalism (Parmaratha).
4. He laid emphasis on community-based worship with spiritual songs called Kirtans.
He preached the virtue of piety, forgiveness and peace of mind.
 Ramdas (c. 1608 – 1681 CE)
1. He was a renowned spiritual Guru and has contributed to building the Maratha empire
under Shivaji.
2. He wrote Dasabhoda, a treatise on the Advaita Vedanta in the Marathi language which
deals with a wide range of topics on the spiritual life, characteristics of Guru, the
necessity of Guru, the qualifications of a true disciple, Maya, importance of spiritual
disciplines, true and false knowledge, bhakti and liberation.
3. His other works are Karunashtaken, Janasvabhavagosanvi and Manache Sloka.
4. He was strictly against caste distinctions and encouraged women to take part in
religious work.
5. Author of “Dasabodh”
Shaivism

It was less popular than vaishnava Bhakti. It

was Present in Kashmir and Karnataka.
 Virashaivism/ Sharana Movement

1. The Virashaiva movement began in Karnataka in the mid-twelfth century.

2. It was initiated by Basavanna and other virshaivas like Allama Prabhu and Akkamahadevi.
3. They fought for the equality of all human beings and against the Brahmanical
ideas of caste and poor treatment of women.
4. They were also against religious rituals and idol worship.
5. Challanged caste system, questioned the theory of rebirth
6. Encouraged post puberty marriage & widow remarriage.
7. Basavanna spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known as Vachanaas.
8. He established Anubhava Mantapa– academy of mystics, saints and philosophers of the
‘Lingayath’s’ faith.
 Lal Ded (Lalleswari)

1. Lal Ded was a 14th century mystic-poet whose verse laid the foundation of the
Kashmiri language and literature.
2. She was a Kashmiri saint and an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. She was a daughter
of a Kashmiri Brahman, Cheta Bhat, born in 1320 AD near Pampore, Kashmir.
3. She wrote many songs on shaiva Bhakti called “Lal vakh”.
4. Her poems and songs concern the longing for God and the joy she finds in the
deity who lives within, as well as her disregard for conventional forms of worship
such as image worship.
 Prominent Female Bhakti Saints
[Link] – A 12th-century bhakti saint who belonged to the southern region of Karnataka. She earned
the title “Akka” meaning elder sister from great philosophers of her time – Basavanna, Prabhu Deva,
Madivalayya and Chenna Basavanna. She was an ardent devotee of Shiva.
[Link] – She was born into the Shudra caste, around the 13th century. She worked in the household of saint
Namdeva, one of the most respected Bhakti saints. Though she had no formal education, she composed over
300 poems, mostly pertaining to her life – domestic chores or about the restrictions she faced being a low
caste woman.
[Link] bai or Mira – Mira belonged to a high class ruling Rajput family and was married to the son of Rana
Sanga of Mewar at an early age but she left her husband and family and went on a pilgrimage to various
places. Her poetry portrays a unique relationship with Lord Krishna as she is not only being portrayed as the
devotee bride of Krishna, but Krishna is also portrayed as in pursuit of Mira.
[Link] or Bahina – A 17th-century poet-saint of Maharashtra, who wrote different abhangas, women’s
folk songs that portray the working life of women especially in the fields.
[Link]:
Only female Alwar. Andal saw herself as the beloved of Vishnu; her verses express her devotional love for the
deity.
6. Karaikkal Ammaiyar
One of the 3 women Nayanars amongst the 63 Nayanars. This devotee of Shiva adopted the path of asceticism
in order to attain her goal.
Contribution of Bhakti Movement to Vernacular Literature
Hindi Kabir, Surdas, Tulsidas, etc.

Marathi Jnandeva, Namdev, Eknath, etc.

Bengali Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Chandidas

Rajasthani (Braj) Meerabai, Bihari, etc.

Punjabi Guru Nanak

Assamese Shankaradeva
Impact of Bhakti Movement

The Bhakti saints were social reformers The evil practice of Sati and caste rigidities received
some set back.
Women were encouraged to join kirtans. Mirabai, Laila (Kashmir) and Andal composed verses
that are popular even today.
In place of Sanskrit, Bhakti saints preached through the medium of local languages which could
be understood very easily.
Kirtan at a Hindu Temple, Qawaali at a Dargah (by Muslims), and singing of Gurbani at a
Gurdwara are all derived from the Bhakti movement of medieval India (800-1700).

It popularized idea of equality & brotherhood.

Preached inclusive path to spiritual salvation.

Rulers adopted liberal religious policies under the impact of the Bhakti movement
All The Best